Winter Wonderland - A Christmas One-Shot
by Aewynessa
Summary: After two hard years as an explorer, Mona is ready for the Christmas season. As a special treat, she travels with her friends, Ray and Eris, to her hometown, Evergreen, to spend Christmas with her family. Just as they begin to relax, a dark menace arises and threatens the well-being of the town and its Christmas spirit. Together, these three friends must find a way to stop him.


**A/N: This story is loosely based on my main story, The Divine Chronicles: The Last Heir. As such, this story is set in a Pok** **émon Mystery Dungeon universe and references exploration teams. Reading the aforementioned story is by no means required in order to understand the story below.**

* * *

 **Winter Wonderland - A Christmas One-shot**

 _Christmas is the time of year_

 _where the world is merry and full of cheer_

 _In this time where spirits are bright_

 _Rests a small town cloaked in white_

 _In this forest hamlet of life_

 _Lives a quiet soul of strife_

 _But with the help of a group of three_

 _This little soul may yet be free_

* * *

Snowflakes twinkled in the air, drifting from the lofty heavens to the lowly earth. They spun and twirled in the wind as if they were dancing an elegant dance at the finest ball. Each individual snowflake intertwined its path with another to form a dappled curtain that draped the cloudy skies.

In the midst of this delicate snowfall laid a quiet town, sheltered from the chilling winds by the strong boughs of hardy oaks and the skinny trunks of delicate pines. Its streets echoed with the sounds of the small eddies of wind that slipped through the trees. Its market held no stall keepers, no hagglers, and no fanciful entertainers. No, silence laid over the town, for Night held dominion over the earth. She gently coaxed her mortals to sleep, holding them tightly in her embrace until Sun's awakening light spirited her away.

However, one soul braved to withstand Night. His eyes did not shut, nor did his legs grow weary. Through the barren streets did he travel, his paws making not a sound.

At each little house, he poked his head in the window. Every time he looked, he saw an empty living room, decorated with tinsel and garland. In each living room corner stood a tall Christmas tree, and each tree had a shining star on its top.

He growled at the display of such festive cheer. _This is too much for me,_ he thought. _I can't stand to see this be._

Turning from the last house on the street, he bounded out of town and out of sight. Through the trees he ran, his destination predestined. He saw it in his mind, and his paws carried him there.

A leap. A bound. A crawl. A hop. Each movement carried him closer.

As Night's glimmering eye shone high in the sky, he reached the place he wanted to go: a high cliff, soaring far above the snow.

The wind tousled his fur on the exposed cliff. His eyes stared coldly at the town below him. His tail snapped side to side, and his paws unsheathed their claws into the helpless snow.

 _I can't bear their holiday cheer,_ he thought in anger. _I must devise a way to end it here._

With a swish of his tail and a flick of his ears, he stalked into the trees and disappeared.

* * *

In the dim light of the rising sun, three figures tromped through the thick blanket of snow covering the ground. In the front marched a jolly eevee, her face lit in eager anticipation. Behind her sulked a less enthusiastic, though no less merry, riolu. Lagging behind them both was a shy breloom. She danced across the snow as if it were a bed of hot coals.

"C-cold... s-s-so cold...," the breloom jittered. "M-M-Mona, w-why did you w-want us to g-go to that village ag-gain?"

The eevee skidded to halt, her blue winter scarf fluttering. "Eris, this is my home town. Every year, the whole town gets to together and decorates all of the buildings. Since you guys are my friends, I wanted to bring my tradition to you. Plus, I think it's something we'd enjoy to get away from the busy life of Treasure Town for a while."

She cast a glance towards the sky. "Good thing those sawsbuck gave us a lift for a little while. At this pace, we'll barely make it in time."

Eris, the breloom, hugged her tail close to her body as if to warm herself. "R-Ray, how are y-you n-n-not c-cold?" she asked the riolu.

Ray, the riolu, shrugged carelessly in response. "I've been colder."

Eris shuddered. "I h-hope we get there soon. I don't know how m-m-much longer I'm going to last. G-grass types w-w-were not meant for the c-c-cold!"

However, Eris was in luck, for not four hours away laid Mona's home town of Evergreen. The three had journeyed far from their exploration guild in Treasure Town in order to reach the little hamlet in Oran Forest. The town's celebration, indeed, was not one to miss.

After the meager four hours had come and gone, the trio stood before the sparkling entrance to the humble town of Evergreen.

Mona was smiling as she beheld her childhood home. It had been over two years since she had left that quiet town to begin a new life as a member of an exploration team in the metropolis of Treasure Town. Despite enjoying her new life, returning to her roots brought her a comforting pleasure that she had missed for a very long time.

 _Oh, the Christmas season. How I love it so,_ she thought as she skipped into Evergreen. She danced through the crowd, singing greetings as she went. They said, "Hello!" in reply, or "How do you do?"

Ray and Eris shook their heads at their friend's merry antics. Then, they followed her as she spun down another street.

Right. Left. Right again. They wound through the streets, but only Mona knew they were going to end.

As Mona came upon a dead end, she stopped in her tracks. The other two, while skidding to a halt, slipped on the ice and fell flat on their backs.

"Hey," Ray said as he favored his rear, "what was that for, Mona? You know it's slippery out here."

With a sheepish grin, she ducked her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "but we're finally here."

Eris stared at her with a perplexed frown. "Um... Mona, where's 'here'?" she asked.

Mona's smile broadened until it seemed as if it could illuminate the entire town. "Home," she responded. Too eager to continue speaking, she rushed to the house at the very end of the street. She bounded right up its porch and up to its door. She lifted a forepaw and sharply rapped on the door without a trace of hesitation.

At first, not a sound came from the house. The three waited tensely in silence. Concerned, Mona raised a forepaw to knock once more.

As her paw descended, the door suddenly flung open. A leafeon, still in her prime, stood in the door frame. Her and Mona's eyes connected, and they both cried out in joy.

"Mom!" Mona exclaimed.

"Mona!" the leafeon cried.

The two embraced, tears shining in the corners of their eyes.

"Mona, you're home. You're really home," Mona's mom sobbed.

"I am, Mom. It's been so long," Mona said sorrowfully. She pulled away from her mom and looked her straight in the eye. "I should have visited more often. I just got so wrapped up in my new life that I didn't give myself time to come back."

Her mom shook her head. "That doesn't matter. You're here now, and that's what counts. You came home just in time for the annual Celebration of the Lights, too! Oh, but I bet you three are cold out there. Come inside, come inside."

The leafeon hastily shuffled out of the doorway and beckoned Mona, Ray, and Eris to enter. Eris hugged the leafeon when she passed. Ray, in his typical reserved manner, shook paws with Mona's mom.

Guiding the three to the living room, Mona's mom told them to relax on the couch while she made her homemade specialty drink: Chilan Berry chamomile tea.

While Mona's mom busied herself in the kitchen, a loud moan resonated from behind a door in the back of the living room. Eris openly flinched and instinctively grabbed her tail. Ray's head snapped to the door. Mona did not seem to hear the noise at all.

Something banged on the door from the other side. Tensing, Ray stood, his paws charging with orange energy. Eris prepared to dive under the living room table. Mona, again, did nothing.

The door rattled once more. Unable to handle the suspense for a moment longer, Eris ducked her head and shielded herself with her tail. Ray began to lowly growl.

Sighing, Mona suddenly stood. "Alright, Dad, that's enough. You can come out now."

Shocked, Ray and Eris swiveled to face Mona, then they both glanced warily at the door. Behind the thin wood, a hearty laugh rang.

"Oh, ho, ho! Is that Chilan Berry chamomile tea I smell?" the voice chuckled. A paw flung open the door, exposing a sleepy-looking umbreon.

Mona's apathy morphed into ecstasy. "Dad!" she called out lovingly, running to him.

The umbreon's eyes opened wider. "Is that...Mona? My daughter? Oh, it is. Mona!"

Father and daughter gently hugged, tears threatening to spill from Mona's eyes once more.

"Dad, it's so good to be home," Mona whispered.

Mona's dad squeezed her tighter in response.

"Umon, honey, you're going to choke her to death," Mona's mom chastised. She stood in the entrance to the kitchen, her leafy tail expertly balancing a plate holding steaming cups of tea. As she moved to set the plate on the living room table, she said, "Come sit down, all of you. You've had a long, hard journey to get here, I'd wager."

Mona smiled and laughed, pulling away from her dad. "You can say that again, Mom. Five days of walking really takes the energy out of you."

Together, the five pokémon reclined on the furniture in the living room. Adventures were recounted in chilling suspense. Stories were told with lively mirth. Experiences were shared with humble attitudes. Not a single thought or emotion tarnished the happiness in that quaint living room.

Afternoon transitioned to evening. Mona's mom invited her daughter and her friends to spend the holidays at her house instead of in the local inn. Not ones to deny hospitality, Ray and Eris agreed to her proposition.

In a celebratory gesture, Mona's mom cooked her three guests a wonderful meal of fresh Rawst Berries and hearty beans. While the meal paled in comparison to the fare the three regularly consumed in Treasure Town, the thought and effort behind the homemade food more than made up for the diminished quality.

The meal finished as soon as it started.

"Wow, you three eat fast," Mona's mom commented, seeing their plates devoid of any scraps. "You were hungrier than I thought. Who would like seconds?"

Mona raised her paw, but a cough from her dad forced it back down.

"Ree, we don't have time for seconds. The Celebration of the Lights is starting soon. Just look outside; it's almost sundown," Mona's dad stated. He gestured towards a window in the front of the house, which happened to face west.

Mona's mom's eyes widened as she noticed how the sun had already sunk below the tree line. "Umon, you're right. We have to get out the decorations, or else we won't be ready in time," she gasped in realization. Hurriedly, she grabbed her plate in her mouth and rushed into the kitchen.

Mona's dad shook his head playfully. "I swear. She never changes," he muttered. "C'mon, you three. Help us old people out and fetch the wreaths and garland, would you?"

Mona and Eris eagerly leapt at the opportunity to decorate the town. "Yeah, Mom, that sounds great! Eris and I would love to go," Mona said. She butted Eris with her head, then jumped from her seat. The two ran to the door, flung it open, and darted into the snow. Shaking her head, Mona's mom followed them at a more leisurely pace.

* * *

While Mona and Eris raced to the backyard, Ray remained in his seat. He preferred to stay in peace and quiet, not out doing something as ridiculous and stringing dead tree branches on buildings.

"You not going, kid?" Umon asked. He still sat in his chair in the living room. "It's a real treat to be in the Celebration."

Ray closed his eyes and began twirling his paw in his collar fur. "Naw. I prefer to celebrate in my own way: peaceful silence and solitude."

Ray's subtle hint did not go unnoticed. Umon, sighing, leapt off the couch opposite Ray and sat down on Ray's couch. Caught off-guard, Ray glowered at Umon out of the corner of his eye. Umon leaned deeply into the couch's cushion, oblivious to Ray's glare.

"You know, when I was your age, I used sit quietly during family celebrations," Umon began. "I didn't know any of my relatives, so when they came over, I found the most obscure corner of the house and laid there for the entire party. I never socialized with anyone. That's probably part of the reason I became an umbreon; people assume it's my natural behavior when I seclude myself."

He chuckled as the memories of his past self surfaced in his mind.

"What's your point?" Ray asked bluntly.

Umon's laughter died. His smile morphed into a frown. "What I'm trying to say here is that you can't live your life all by yourself. When you get older, you'll regret it, like me."

Ray's mouth slightly parted. He did not know what to make of Umon's statement.

Turning his head and making eye contact with Ray, Umon continued, "You're in your prime right now. As much as you like things the way they are now, they aren't the best things for you to be doing. I can tell that you're a loner, but somehow, you got yourself wrapped up in an exploration team with my daughter and that Eris girl."

Ray shifted his gaze to the ground. "Mona and Eris...," he said. "They...they saved me from a life on the streets. I would have been in really bad shape...if it wasn't...for...," he said, trailing off at the end.

Umon nodded in sympathy. "Sounds to me like you owed them big time. I'd consider going out there and having a good time with them a little bit like paying them back that debt. It'd only help you, kid."

Ray sat in silence for a little while. Then, to his own shock, he started to smile. "I guess you're right," he said with his grin. He stood off the couch and marched to the door. "I'm going to decorate with them. I think I might just have...fun."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mona, Eris, and Mona's mom had already pulled out the decorations.

"Mona, we need to take these to the market! They have to go above your father's stall," Mona's mom instructed.

From the storage behind the house, she removed several wreaths from a wooden box. She threw one around Mona's neck. Then another. And another. On and on she piled the wreaths until Mona could hardly see through all the pine needles around her face.

"Mom, I swear, you must have gotten some more wreaths since I last helped decorate," Mona mumbled.

Mona's mom smiled sweetly and patted her daughter on the head. "No, I haven't gotten more since then. You're carrying more of them!" she laughed.

Mom sighed. "Mom..."

Mona's mom pointed her paw with a flick towards the direction of the town's market. "Now, hurry, Mona. We need to get set up before sundown. Heavens above, if your father wasn't so lazy, I'd make him help you two out."

She urged them to leave once more. Mona, laden with wreaths, and Eris, draped in strands of garland, stumbled half-blindly around Mona's house and onto the side of the icy road. Mona's small stature did not provide her with any advantage over the four-inch high snow. As such, at the first intersection, she snagged her foot on a hidden rise in the road and tumbled flat on her needle-covered face.

"Oof!" she shouted, her mouth muffled with new-fallen snow. She hastily spat the offending object out of her mouth. "Maybe I should've done two trips..."

"Need some help?"

Standing eight feet away from Mona and Eris, Ray uncrossed his arms and jogged closer to Mona and Eris. "Geez, Mona, could you have gotten any more?" he quipped lightly.

"Ray? You're here?" Eris asked in surprise. "I thought...that you...didn't like decorating?"

Ray shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess that I'm in the Christmas spirit," he smoothly responded. Without warning, he extended a paw under the wreaths, grabbed Mona's scruff, and yanked her upright while simultaneously removing three wreaths from around her neck in one fluid motion.

Thanking him, Mona lead her friends along the streets of town. Unfortunately, they reached a traffic cop, who whistled at them to wait while a caravan of merchants crossed the intersection.

"STOP!" he hollered. Fortunately, the three only had to wait a moment, for they had arrived at the end of the line of merchants' wagons.

When the three friends arrived at the market, a plethora of sights and sounds greeted them. Townsfolk toting various colored candles, wreaths, garland, and mistletoe flooded into the market square. Stall keepers adorned their beloved stalls with their prized decorations. Children too young to be bothered to help played tag and other children's games in the center of the square.

"Wow...," Eris awed. "Mona, this is incredible! You do this every Christmas?"

Mona tried to nod, but found herself unable to move her head around the wreaths on her neck, so she just said, "Yep. Every year, we kick off the Celebration by decorating the whole town."

Guiding Ray and Eris through the crowd, Mona steered towards a sturdy stall in the middle of the market.

"This is my dad's stall," she said. "Well, technically, it's both my parents' stall, but Dad's the one who runs it most of the time."

It appeared that Mona's dad was a carpenter; several wooden creations dotted the counter-top and the back wall. Tiny rufflets and pidgeys dangled from the ceiling. One fearsome feraligatr carving crouched low to the table, his bared teeth frightening life-like.

With Ray's help, Mona slid the wreaths off her neck. Eris gently set the garlands on the stall's counter, then started to shiver without the extra warmth the strands provided to her.

"M-Mona, does your d-dad k-k-keep a blanket b-b-back in his st-st-stall?" she asked.

Mona cocked her head in thought. "I think he does for days precisely like this one," she answered. She leapt over the counter and into the back. Digging through several boxes, she pulled out two scarves, one white and one red.

She distributed the red scarf to Eris and the white scarf to Ray. Checking that her own blue scarf was still fastened around her scruff, Mona showed Ray and Eris how to properly decorate her family's stall.

They strung the garland around the top. They nailed the wreaths to the corners. They even found a spare supply of Christmas candles in a small box, so they placed them on the counter and lit them with a burning matchstick.

Mona smiled at their handiwork. "This is the best the stall's ever been decorated. Thanks, guys," she said to Ray and Eris.

"No problem!" Eris cheerfully responded.

"Yeah, it was kinda fun," Ray mused.

"Aaaah! Someone, get it!" a voice screamed.

Curious, the three turned around when they heard the scream. A ball tumbled by them and into an alleyway between two stalls. A small band of children tumbled after the ball, but when it rolled into the alley, they halted in fear.

"Oh, no... It rolled into...there...," a girl whispered timidly.

Mona's gaze switched between the group of children and the dark alley. Steeling herself, she approached the children. "Hey, I'll go get it," she offered.

The children stared at her with wide eyes. "T-thank you, miss," the girl said in gratitude.

Mona leapt over her stall's counter and landed in front of the alley. Bravely, she set on paw into the alley. She gulped once, then continued to march into the shadows.

 _Where's that ball? I can hardly see anything,_ she thought, scouring the ground with her eyes. She pushed aside a worn wooden crate, checked under a discarded blanket, and searched in a crevice, but to no avail.

A small scuttling sound emanated from another alley to her right. Mona jumped in fright at the sudden noise. She ducked behind the corner and peered around it into the other alley.

The darkness oppressed her, but she saw it out of the corner of her eye: the ball.

 _There it is!_ she thought, bounding around the corner. She stooped to pick up the ball in her mouth when she heard the scuttling sound right in front of her. Too curious for her own good, Mona looked up from the ball.

"W-what the...?" she exclaimed before a paw slammed into her head, knocking her out cold.

* * *

The figure lifted his paw from the eevee's head. _She should not have been here,_ he thought with an unsettled frown. _This might ruin my plans more than I can anticipate._

"Mona?" a voice called. A shadow of a hunched figure poked out of the corner of the alleyways. "Are you okay, Mona? You've taken a long time. We're getting worried."

The figure's eyes narrowed. _I must leave. Tch. No matter. I have seen all that I need to see._ He pushed the small ball closer to the eevee. Crouching low, he surged upwards with his powerful hind legs and sprinted across the rooftops.

 _Two days until Christmas Eve, Evergreen,_ he thought, an evil smirk splitting his face. _Two days until your holiday cheer is shattered into pieces so small, you won't be able to even imagine piecing it back together again!_

* * *

Eris tip-toed timidly through the dim alley. She was not a brave pokémon; she knew that very well. However, when one of her friends was possibly in danger, her fear seemed to evaporate, courage filling its place.

Despite her surge of bravery, she was still a mite afraid.

"Mona?" she said. Her nervous habit surfaced as she swung her tail forward and held it with her two hands. The shadows seemed as if alive: they loomed and wavered in an intimidating manner.

"Are you okay, Mona? You've taken a long time. We're getting worried," she stuttered. Mona's silence unnerved her more than the dark alley ever could.

"Mona?" she called out once more. Arriving at a corner, she hesitantly poked her head around it.

She gasped. Mona laid unconscious in the middle of the alley, her body as still as stone.

"Mona!" she shrieked. She sprinted towards the fallen eevee and shook her shoulders aggressively. Mona did not stir.

Turning towards the exit, she screamed, "Somebody! Get help! Mona's unconscious, and she's not waking up!"

* * *

Outside the alley, Ray heard Eris's usually faint voice wail loudly from the depths of the alley. His eyes widened in shock when her heard her plea. Growling, he tapped a child who look like he was nine years old on the shoulder.

"I need you to go to the closest pokémon to a medical specialist that this town has to offer. Tell that pokémon that there's an emergency in the market square and bring that pokémon here as quickly as you can," he commanded. While the child did not understand what a "specialist" was, he assumed that Ray was asking for the local doctor. As such, he nodded and took off to the far end of town, where he knew the doctor lived.

Slightly assured that the boy would find the medic, Ray sprinted into the alley until he found Eris leaning over Mona. Eris did not notice him until he crouched next to Mona.

"Ray!" she said, startled. "When did you get here?"

He did not answer. Instead, he searched Mona for any serious injuries. The only injury he found was the formation of a bump on Mona's forehead.

 _Whoever attacked her did it by surprise. That cowardly son of a...,_ Ray thought in rage. He abruptly stood, his paws curling into fists.

Eris noticed his display of anger and cringed. "Ray, what...are you doing?" she asked in a small voice.

"I'm going to find the bastard that did this to Mona," he replied with an angry snarl. With a mighty leap, he soared into the air and alighted on the top of the nearest house. Glancing over his shoulder to ensure that Eris would not follow him, he bounded from rooftop to rooftop, his eyes roving the streets below him.

 _He couldn't have gotten far. This town is too big,_ Ray observed.

Suddenly, a dark shadow sprung from the cover of a nearby chimney and crashed into Ray, sending tumbling into the street below them. Ray fell into the snow on the side of the road, but his assailant landed roughly on the icy street.

His years of experience as an explorer surfacing, Ray quickly recovered and jumped to his paws. He ignited his paws in an orange glow, carefully regarding the pokémon in front of him.

Grunting, the attacker heaved himself to his paws. Realizing that he was not alone, he whirled to face Ray.

Ray slightly gasped when he recognized the pokémon's species: a luxio. His unmistakable blue and black fur, compounded with his electric yellow eyes, only reinforced his suspicion.

The luxio crouched low to the ground in a fighting stance and began circling to Ray's right. Ray responded in kind, settling into his own fighting stance. Ray knew he was not going to escape unscathed from this encounter since he was slightly outmatched against a luxio. However, he was not going to allow this luxio to walk away without receiving punishment for daring to hurt Mona.

The luxio bared his fangs, electricity crackling between the sharp points. Ray tightened his guard and charged more fighting-type energy in his paws.

Both halted simultaneously in the center of the street. A standoff ensued, neither pokémon willing to budge an inch.

With a sudden roar, the luxio charged at Ray, fangs coated in blinding electricity. Ray easily predicted his maneuver and smoothly dodged. As the luxio stampeded past him, he swung a paw into the luxio's back and expelled his paw's energy into the luxio's body.

The resulting shock waved pummeled the luxio down onto the ice. He skidded for several feet before he finally stopped, his body unmoving.

Ray shifted uneasily from paw to paw. He did not intend to hurt the luxio with his strike; he ensured that his Force Palm only used enough power to knock the luxio away from him.

After a tense moment, the luxio started to stand, much to Ray's relief. Once the luxio regained his footing, he lifted his head to stare at Ray. Ray glared back, daring the luxio to foolishly attack him once more.

The heated, unspoken exchange ended in the blink of an eye. Silently, the luxio turned tail and fled without glancing back at Ray.

Ray snorted in disgust as the luxio vanished into the town. _A true coward,_ he mentally declared. He lowered his paws, the energy contained within them dispersing into his body. Facing away from the spot where the luxio disappeared, Ray ran towards the market, where he could hopefully find Mona and Eris.

* * *

Mona's eyes flickered open. She expected to awaken in the damp, cold alley, so when she saw walls around her and a ceiling above her head, her mind spiraled in confusion.

 _Where...where am I?_ she thought. She tilted her head to the side, trying to understand her current location. With her blurry vision, she vaguely distinguished a lithe, green, and white figure and a green, tan figure.

"She's...awake...," a soft voice whispered.

"Good. Now, could you fetch me another Oran Berry? This poultice needs a third one," another voice asked sweetly.

A rustling came from Mona's left, and the green, tan figure disappeared from her vision.

The other figure leaned closer to Mona. "Your eyes don't seem to be focusing very well. Here, maybe this will help."

A bright green light radiated from the pokémon, rippling over Mona's body. With each pulse, Mona's vision cleared a fraction. By the time the green, tan figure, who Mona recognized as Eris, returned, Mona's eyes could properly focus.

"V-Vivian?" she exclaimed as she identified the florges sitting above her.

Vivian smiled. "It's good to see you after all this time, Mona. I just wish we didn't have to meet like this."

Mona tried to sit up, but she could not find the energy to move. "What happened to me?" she asked hoarsely.

The corners of Vivian's mouth dropped into a frown. "Someone knocked you out. A boy brought me to you, and I took you here to my home. Whoever hit you didn't hold much back; the bump on your head is quite nasty. Thankfully, I have this Oran Berry poultice to help patch that right up."

As Vivian applied the poultice to Mona's head injury, Mona tried to recall the events before she was knocked out. All she remembered was going to retrieve the children's ball, seeing blue and black fur and yellow eyes, and suddenly experiencing intense pain in her skull.

 _Blue and black fur. Yellow eyes. Wait. It can't be,_ she thought with a gasp.

"Mona? What's is it? Am I pushing down too hard?" Vivian asked, concern in her voice.

"Vivian," Mona said, "when was the last time anybody saw or heard from...Zane?"

Startled, Vivian nearly dropped the bandages in her hands. She bit her lip, unable to find the words to say.

"...Vivian? What's wrong? Has something happened to Zane?" Mona asked, her mind whirling.

Vivian slowly set the bandages and the rest of the poultice on the table next to her, her hands quaking violently. She placed her empty hands on Mona's shoulders and let her eyes remain in contact with the floor.

"Vivian, you're starting to scare me. What's going on?" Mona asked, her voice higher in pitch.

Gulping, Vivian answered carefully, picking her words wisely. "Mona... Zane hasn't been in town for an entire year."

Something about the way she said those words bothered Mona. "Vivian, I can handle the truth. Did something happen to Zane?" she asked, a forceful undertone entering her voice.

Sighing, Vivian replied, "I could never keep anything from you. You were too perceptive," she said. "Yes, something did happen to Zane. Something...terrible. It was shortly after he evolved into a luxio..."

* * *

 _That day had been a wonderful Christmas Eve. The whole town was covered in rich, voluminous snow. The annual Christmas Eve Parade had started on schedule that day._

 _Zane had decided to enter the parade with a couple of his good friends. They made a truly wonderful float: a miniature winter wonderland. It wasn't that big since they only gave themselves two months to build it, but it was one of the best floats in the parade in my opinion._

 _Zane had sat in the front of his float, waving and smiling at the crowd. He was a real natural at it. The crowd absolutely adored him, especially the girls in town. Zane only had his eyes set on one girl, however: his girlfriend, Lucy, a glaceon._

 _I don't know the full details, but when the parade ended at the market square, Lucy stood amongst the crowd as if she were waiting for Zane. Zane had proudly leapt to the top of his parade float and bravely called for Lucy to come up the float next to him._

 _Lucy had obliged. When she had clambered to the top to be next to Zane, Zane had knelt as best as his body could allow him. Then, he asked her something that surprised us all._

 _"Lucy, my love, we have known each other for as long as either of us can remember. We grew up together. We played together. We laughed together. We learned new things together. We experienced hardships together._

 _"But most of all, we loved each other. This past year has been the best year of my life. I wake up every morning with you on my mind. I go to sleep with the promise that I'll see you tomorrow._

 _"Lucy, you mean everything to me. I want to...spend my life with you."_

 _Lucy had gasped when he said this. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes._

 _Zane looked her straight in the eyes when he said his next words. "Lucy, will you be my mate?"_

 _The crowd had all waited in baited breath, including myself. This was a big moment for the two of them. Zane obviously had this planned for a long time. It was probably why he even joined the parade in the first place._

 _Oh, but we never expected what would happen next. Never in a million years._

 _She denied him._

 _"Zane...," she had said, her voice so soft I could barely hear the words, "I cannot be your mate."_

 _Zane's face held so much shock that I thought a lightning bolt had struck him and paralyzed him._

 _"Zane, I've thought about this for a long time," Lucy had said, tears streaming out of her eyes. "We have profoundly loved each other for a year. We have declared our undying love on several occasions. For this, I have to admit fault. We were too hasty, too unabashed in our love for each other._

 _"We are rushing into this too fast, Zane. We still don't know each other like we should. I want to learn more about you. I want to discover what kind of a pokémon you really are. So Zane, my love, will you wait for me? Will you wait with me? Will you still love me?"_

 _Zane's eyes were watery. He did not speak for a long time. He only stared in Lucy's eyes. Eventually, he spoke, but his voice had become low and lifeless._

 _"Lucy...my love... I will wait. However long we must wait, I shall endure that time until you and I both see each other as we are."_

 _Two had embraced when he had spoken his promise. I remember crying that day, too. That moment was such a sad one for that merry time of year, yet I had hoped that their future would be bright._

 _Oh, how wrong I was._

 _The very next day, Christmas Day, Lucy vanished. Nobody knew where she went or even heard her leave. She just up and went without a word._

 _Her disappearance ruined Zane. He was never the same without her. His attitude darkened. He rarely spoke to anyone. His emotions of love had turned to anger and hate._

 _Sadly, no one tried to console him. People just wrote off their love as a "modern-day romance", a fluke, and a love that was never meant to come to fruition. Unfortunately, I fell victim to that mindset as well._

 _Zane never recovered from Lucy's denial and disappearance. One day, he vanished, too. Nobody has seen him since._

 _However, a note was discovered by his bedside. I've only heard rumor about that note. They said that it read: "You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not hope. I'll tell you why. I will be coming back to town, and you will all pay for what you did to me."_

* * *

Vivian and Mona sat in silence after Vivian had finished recounting her memory. Mona curled her right forepaw into a fist, her face a visage of anger and sadness.

"Zane...," she whispered.

Vivian smiled sorrowfully and patted Mona's shoulder. She told Mona to rest a while longer, then left the room in silence.

Mona moved her gaze from the closing door to the ceiling. _Zane, I can't believe so much has happened to you. You used to be such a wonderful person. Now, I don't even know what to think of you anymore._

She rolled over onto her side. _Why did you knock me out, Zane? Why are you even here? Better yet, what are you going to do now that you've returned?_

Mona laid on the bed. The more she thought about Zane, the more her resolve grew.

 _I have to find him,_ she thought determinedly. _I have to stop him from doing whatever he's going to do._

She flung off her covers and slid from her bed. She ran to the door, swung it open, and nearly hit someone's head.

"Whoa!" Eris cried as she dodged the opening door. She turned to its entrance and gaped at Mona. "Mona, I thought Vivian told you to rest."

Mona shook her head. "I can't rest, Eris. I have to find Zane," she said. She brushed past Eris and made to leave the building.

"Wait, Mona," Eris said. Mona halted and glanced over her shoulder. Eris walked to Mona while saying, "Mona... I know when your hero's complex is getting the best of you. I also know that I can't stop you with your mind's made up, so...take me with you."

Mona paused in surprise. She stared at Eris, then chuckled and smiled. "Fine, Eris. I was kinda hoping you would help me, anyway. Finding Zane certainly isn't going to be easy, but we have to find him and stop him. He might be trying to...ruin Christmas."

Eris was shocked to hear those words come from Mona's mouth. "Y-You think so?" she asked.

Mona frowned in thought, pushing open the door to the outdoors. "If Zane is anything like how I used to know him, then yes, he would do it. He always finds a way to keep his promises. Zane doesn't fear much, and public opinion certainly isn't one of them."

Mona and Eris stepped outside the building and into the chilly air. Shivering automatically, Eris tightened the scarf around her neck and huddled close to Mona. "S-so, where d-do you think w-w-we should g-g-go?" Eris stuttered, her teeth clacking.

Mona cocked her head as she deliberated. "Well, we should find Ray first. We'll need all the help we can get if we're going to find Zane."

"You looking for me?"

Mona and Eris gasped in surprise as Ray dropped out of the sky and landed in a crouch in front of them. He brushed a stray fleck of snow off his shoulder as he stood.

"Ray, geez, you scared us," Mona complained. "I'll give you brownie points for the flashy entrance, though."

Ray snorted. "Thanks, Mona. I really try," he replied sarcastically. His tone sobered when he next said, "So, I guess you're going to look for Zane?"

"How'd you...?" she asked.

Ray sighed as if Mona should already know the answer. "I chased after him after he attacked you. We fought, but he ran away in the middle of the fight like a filthy coward. On the way back to the market, I met your father. I asked him about Zane, and he filled in all the details. Once he told me you were in the local nurse's house, I ran here as quickly as I could. I should have figured that you would find out about Zane's activities and would have wanted to go after him. You do have a nasty case of hero's complex."

Mona face palmed. "You too... Is my hero's complex really that obvious?"

Ray and Eris exchanged a knowing look, then simultaneously nodded.

Mona groaned and waved a forepaw. "Let's just go already. You too...always harping on me...," she muttered.

After a minute of debating, the three decided to split to cover more ground. Ray darted towards the northern third of Evergreen while Mona and Eris divided their search of the southern half into separate thirds. None of them knew when Zane would strike, so they decided to apprehend him as soon as they encountered him, even if that meant using force.

Once arriving at their decision, the three broke off individually, each with a similar, focused mindset. They were determined to let no one ruin this Christmas.

Ray's search carried him through the town's majority of residential housing blocks. He ducked into alleys and dug into unusual crevices, hoping to find any clue of a secret hideout or base of operations. He even darted across rooftops, searching for any telltale signs of luxio-shaped footprints in the snow.

"No sign of him. Not even a paw print," he said as he arrived at the spot where he began. "He's obviously not here. Time to rendezvous with the others."

Eris picked through Evergreen's shopping districts. She asked whoever she could about Zane, but she only received amused laughs or disappointing denials. Vainly, she crawled through the most obscure parts of the area in the hopes of finding a trace of the vengeful luxio. When she had search the entire district, she was forced to admit that Zane was not in her part of town.

"W-w-well, I'll j-j-just go to where w-we said we'd m-meet up," she decided.

Mona's area covered the market and the nearby recreational areas. In the two years since she had visited her home town, Evergreen had not changed in the slightest, technically making her search easier. Despite her recollection of virtually the town's every nook and cranny, she still could not find hide nor hair of Zane.

"Urgh. I can't find him. I guess I'll go to our meeting spot and hope Ray or Eris has something to show for their efforts," she said.

Unfortunately for her, when she arrived at their chosen point of her parents' front yard, Ray and Eris both had no information about Zane's current whereabouts.

"No information whatsoever? Not even a tuft of fur or a straw paw print?" Mona asked.

Ray shook his head. "He's gone, Mona. He somehow got away without a trace."

The three of them stared at each other in silence. Each was thinking of another way they could find Zane. None of them had an answer.

"Excuse me? Are you Eris?"

Eris whirled around at the sound of the voice behind her. A roselia waited in the center of the road, her roses wrapped around her to hold her warmth in her body.

"Y-yeah... I am...," Eris said. "D-did you want me f-for something?"

The roselia's gaze dropped to the ground. "I, um, heard you asking around my father's shop about a luxio. You left before I could say anything, so I came to find you. I've actually seen a luxio not too long ago head into the forest south of town. Maybe you could find him there?" she explained.

Smiling, Mona approached the roselia and patted her on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your help. You don't know how much it means to us," Mona said gratefully. She turned to face Ray and Eris, saying, "We have to hurry, guys! He might be up to something!"

Ray and Eris nodded and chased after Mona as she ran towards the southern forest. They knew that they did not have much time if they were going to find and catch Zane.

* * *

When the trio of friends had disappeared around a bend, the roselia fled from the center of the road into a nearby alley.

"Okay, Zane, I did what you wanted. Please, I want my sister back like you promised," the roselia begged.

A figure wreathed in shadows shifted from his position near the wall. Beneath his legs quivered a frightened budew, tears streaming down her face. The figure pushed the budew towards the roselia. The trembling budew fearfully looked up at the figure before running into her older sister's arms.

"You have served your purpose. Now leave my sight," the figure commanded. "If you speak of this to anyone, you will lose more than your sister, little roselia."

He stepped threateningly into the light, exposing his bared fangs and wild eyes. The budew screamed and buried herself in her older sister's embrace. The roselia lifted her sister off the ground and ran before the demented pokémon could torment her further.

The figure watched them as they fled. Then, he stalked into the alley once more, a dark expression creeping over his face. _You've fallen into my trap, Mona. I know what you're up to, and I'm not going to let you succeed._

Grinning crazily, the figure laughed maniacally as he vanished into the darkening depths of the forest.

* * *

Eris was sure that she was doing the right thing when she first joined Mona in her search for the infamous Zane. However, as she walked through the Oran Forest in the middle of the night, her doubts on the whole issue began to surface.

"Mona...are you sure that we should be doing this? I mean, that roselia might have been wrong. Maybe she saw a manectric or even a luxray. There's no way to—"

"Eris," Mona interrupted. She halted and rotated to look at Eris. "We have no other choice. What that roselia told us is the only lead we have. Zane is going to do something soon. I just know it. Whatever he's got planned, it isn't going to be good. No matter what, we have to find him and put a stop to him."

When Mona finished her monologue, Eris did not have a response. Instead, she simply nodded. Mona accepted her tacit reply and once again trekked deeper into the forest, Ray and Eris following her closely.

Unfortunately for Mona, she did not know the layout of the forest as well as she knew the layout of the town. With the disadvantages of having not entered this part of the forest for over two years and exploring during the night, she had no clue where she was in the vast expanse of the Oran Forest. Regardless, Mona continued to lead her friends through the forest, hoping that they may yet find a clue as to Zane's current location.

"Alright, I've had enough," Ray said, stopping in his tracks.

Mona wheeled to face Ray. "Ray, what do you mean, 'enough'? We've only just started searching in the forest."

Ray scowled darkly at Mona. "In case you haven't noticed, Mona, we've been searching almost all night. And guess what we've found to show for it? Nothing. Not a thing," he spat. "If you've got any ideas, I'd love to hear them. If not, I'm going back to town. We're wasting our time. Zane could have left that note just to spite everyone."

Mona opened her mouth to argue, but she closed it as she mulled over Ray's words. _He has a point,_ she thought. _Maybe Zane isn't a threat. Maybe I'm misconstruing this situation. For all I know, this entire act could be one big ploy._

Seeing her lack of a response, Ray huffed and turned to leave. "I'm done with this, Mona. I'm going back to celebrate Christmas. If you have any sense left, you'd come back, too."

Desperately, Mona looked to Eris for reassurance. To her shock, Eris wore a tired expression. As Ray climbed over the bushes to return to town, she stared at Mona for a brief moment before turning to follow him.

"I'm sorry, Mona," she whispered as she departed, "but Ray's right. We should just go back and celebrate Christmas the way it was meant to be celebrated." She stopped to wait for Mona. When Mona did not move, she cast her gaze to the ground and sullenly left.

 _Guys...,_ Mona thought. She moved forward as if to pursue them, then she growled and stopped herself. _No. I know I'm right. I can do this by myself if I must._

She pivoted on her hind paws and marched in the opposite direction. Mona was determined to prove her point, and she would brave the dark, unknown forest in order to do it.

She wandered deeper and deeper, never once permitting herself to rest. She staved off sleep as fought throw the underbrush. Her eyes scanned any and every suspicious location for signs of Zane or his hideout.

 _I can't believe they just left me. We've been through so much together, but they still don't believe me when I'm right. I'll show them. Maybe then they'll understand me,_ she thought. _Now if I could just find a hint of—_

A light twinkled to Mona's left, cutting off her thought process. Excited, she ducked under a nearby bush and peered between its branches.

The light originated from a campfire resting in the center of a clearing. A small cliff loomed above the clearing on the right side. In the center of the cliff laid the entrance to a cave. More light emanated from its depths.

Mona smiled deviously. She realized that she had stumbled upon Zane's cave, and in her eagerness, she vowed to apprehend him.

Stealthily, she crept from cover to cover, sneaking closer and closer to the cave's entrance. She quickly checked the surrounding area to ensure that Zane was not near her, then she ducked into the cave.

As she entered into the cave, she discovered that the cave was little more than an enlarged crevice in the cliff face. Another fire burned into the center of the crevice. A ledge covered in a thin blanket hung on the left wall, and half a score of shelves lined the right wall.

 _This must be where he's been living, or at least it's one of his hideouts,_ Mona thought. She cautiously snuck around the cave, prodding the walls for any hidden escape routes. Not finding one, she turned towards the makeshift bed and shelves.

 _Weird. The shelves are all empty, but there's no dust on them. That means he cleared out recently. Then why are there fresh fires burning inside and outside of the cave?_ she pondered.

As she continued to examine the room, she saw that a strange pattern was carved into the wall. Upon closer inspection, she recognized that it was a crude calendar of the month of December. All of the days up until December twenty-second were crossed out. However, Mona noticed something different about December twenty-fourth.

It had a large circle around it.

 _That date... It's Christmas Eve. Why is it circled? In fact, why does this cave look abandoned, but have a fresh fire? It's almost like he...purposely left the place this way..._

Mona gasped as she understood why. _I have to get out of here!_

Suddenly, Mona heard a rumbling from outside the seemingly abandoned hideout. Rocks fell rapidly from above the entrance. They piled on top of each other and sealed the entrance of the cave in seconds.

"NO!" Mona screamed. She scoured the surface of the rock barricade for any weak spots or holes. Unfortunately, she found none.

"...No...," she said again, collapsing in a heap on the floor. The reality of the situation was slowly sinking into her.

She had walked straight into a trap. Zane had perfectly anticipated her, and now, he had successfully trapped her in his old hideout.

 _I was such an idiot,_ she thought as she curled into a ball on the floor. _I let my desire to prove myself guide me. Now, I'm paying dearly for it._

She sighed. _At least Ray and Eris weren't with me. I hope they still have the sense to be aware for Zane. He's still dangerous, and he_ is _going to attack soon. The fact that he wanted to stop me here proves it._

Gazing up at the rock pile, Mona prayed that Ray and Eris would stay safe and hopefully try to find her. She could not escape on her own.

 _This is the worst Christmas ever._

* * *

"This is the worst Christmas ever, Ray. Mona's gone, and she's the only who could possibly have got us out of this...creepy forest," Eris complained. Her eyes darted nervously to every sound and shadow as if they were potential threats.

Ray said nothing. His anger still fueled his thoughts, and he did not want to say anything that he would regret. He only wished that Mona would have been more sensible and seen that Zane was not a real threat. He acknowledged that Zane viciously knocked Mona unconscious, but he did not know the whole story. Mona probably had instigated him somehow, forcing his paw. Her heart was too big for her own good.

Eris stared at Ray anxiously. She could feel the anger and frustration radiating off him in powerful waves. Normally, she would avoid Ray when he became as emotional as he did, but this time, she felt that she needed to do something to rectify the situation.

"Um...Ray?" she tentatively asked.

Ray kept walking, seemingly not hearing her.

Eris braved another attempt. "Hey, Ray, you know, we might have made a...mistake. We just left Mona back there... She looked really sad."

Ray still ignored her.

Eris gulped. She did not know whether to continue or just surrender. _What would Mona do?_ she thought.

 _...She would keep going._

"Ray, please, listen to me. Mona is still trying to find Zane. We should...go...help her," Eris stated.

Ray halted, his head low.

Eris pushed her point. "We can't just abandon her. We're her friends. We've stuck by her side for almost two years, and she's stuck by ours. We...we need to go back."

Suddenly, Ray wheeled around, a furious expression on his face. "And do what, Eris? Say that everything's all fine? That we'll find Zane? Get real, Eris. She's delusion, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can celebrate Christmas."

Ray started walking, but stopped when he realized Eris was not following him.

"Ray, you believed it, too. You thought that Zane was going to try to do something harmful to the town," she said blandly as if restating facts. "You heard about Zane's past. You saw what he did to Mona. Heck, you even searched through town with us. How could you not think that Zane is going to attack?"

Despite his previous argument with Mona, Ray had no comeback against Eris's points. He _had_ thought that Zane would attack. He _had_ seen what Zane did to Mona. He _had_ scoured the entire north end of Evergreen just to find the vendetta-driven luxio.

"Just because we can't find him doesn't mean that the threat isn't real," Eris said. "We have to have the willpower and the determination to keep going, even if we don't get results right away." She approached Ray and extended a hand. "Ray, please, I mean it. We have to help Mona. She needs us. She can't do it on her own."

Ray stared at her offered hand. His mind tumbled in a flurry of emotions and thoughts. He tried to separate them and distinguish his true feelings, but he was failing.

Eris noticed his conflicted mind. She only smiled and reached farther towards Ray.

Ray's mouth parted, and he breathed a large sigh. "Eris, I... No, you're right. I— _We_ have to help Mona." Without further hesitation, he clapped his paw with her hand.

"Alright!" Eris cheered. "Let's go find Mona!"

Immediately after she spoke, a loud crash resounded through the trees. Eris and Ray released their grip and cast their gazes around the area.

"What was that?" Eris asked.

Ray remained silent, calculating in his head.

"...It's Mona," he said. Without wasting another moment, he sprinted in the direction the crashing sounded.

"Ray, wait up!" Eris cried as she tried to follow him through the thick underbrush.

The two ran through the forest until they arrived at the clearing Mona had previously entered. The campfire, which had once burned strongly, now glowed with a dying flame. The cliff had collapsed, leaving a massive pile of boulders at its base.

Eris retreated in shock when she noticed the decimated cliff face. "That sound...that was the cliff falling down?!" she screamed in realization.

Ray nodded. "Cliffs don't collapse for no reason. Someone purposefully caused that rockslide. One hundred Poké says it was Zane, and another hundred for who's behind that pile of rubble."

As if to answer Ray's unspoken question, a familiar voice shouted from behind the rocks.

"Ray! Eris! Please, somebody help me!"

Ray and Eris exchanged a look before they both charged towards the boulder pile. Simultaneously, they began knocking away the rocks with powerful fighting-type moves. Ray used his Force Palm to blast boulders away from the edge, while Eris opted for a brute-force approach with Sky Uppercut.

"Whoever's out there, be careful! The rocks are starting to cave in!" Mona warned. In response, Ray and Eris redoubled their efforts. They managed to clear an opening at the top of the pile. Peering inside the hole, Ray saw Mona staring back up at him.

"Ray! It really is you!" Mona cried in relief.

"Just hang on!" Ray shouted.

He flung a few additional rocks from the top to open the hole wider. "Jump, Mona! The pile's starting to collapse!"

Mona needed no further prompting. Allowing her body's natural type energy to fuel her, she engaged in a Quick Attack, using the added force to propel her up the rock face. She landed next to Ray as the bottom of the pile began to slide out from under the top.

"Guys! Get down from there!" Eris screeched from her spot on the ground.

Ray grabbed Mona's scruff, much to her protest, and leapt from the top of the boulder heap. Without warning, the bottom caved under his feet, and he started tumbling down the pile. In a last ditch effort, Ray tossed Mona to safety as he fell the rest of the way down the rocks.

Mona landed near Eris, gasping as her breath flew out of her lungs. As Eris helped Mona to her paws, Mona watched as the rest of the rocks tumbled into the cave. She smiled in relief when she realized that she was relatively unscathed.

Unfortunately, Ray was not as lucky.

"Ray, oh no...," Eris whispered. Ray laid on the ground, his paws clutching his right ankle. His face was twisted in pain.

"Ray, you saved me...," Mona gasped, rushing towards the fallen riolu. She noticed that his ankle had begun to abnormally swell. "You saved me, and the only thanks I give is letting you get hurt. This whole fiasco is all my fault," she muttered.

Wincing, Ray opened one eye and stared at Mona. "No, Mona... It isn't...your fault," he said through gritted teeth.

Mona vigorously shook her head. "No, it is! I should have never gone out to here in the first place, and I shouldn't have been brazen enough to walk into a trap that should have been obvious to me. I wanted to prove myself to you for some reason, and I let that cloud my judgment. I'm so, so sorry."

Ray gaped in awe at Mona as she apologized. Then, he closed his eyes and chuckled.

"Ray? What is it now?" Mona asked.

His chuckling reduced to a mere smile. "Mona, you have no need to apologize. I was the one at fault here. I was impatient; I wanted results to happen the way I wanted them when I wanted them. When I didn't get what I wanted, I assumed that things weren't the way I thought just to make myself feel better. I completely ignored your and Eris's feelings and beliefs and chose to only listen to my own. For that, I should be the one to say that I'm sorry."

Eris smiled as she watched Mona and Ray forgive each other. She approached them and patted them both on their shoulders. "I'm glad to see that we're a team again," she said. "Let's get back to town; that ankle of yours looks sprained, Ray."

Eris hefted Ray onto his left leg, supporting him on his right side. As she helped Ray walk, Mona led them through the forest towards Evergreen. She unwaveringly cleared any underbrush that would inhibit Eris or Ray's movement along the ground. At one point, she sliced a fallen tree into fragments so her friends could pass.

As the sun's rising ushered in the dawn, the three arrived back at town. Deciding that Ray needed treatment immediately, Mona guided her friends to Vivian's house, where she knew Vivian would already be awake and preparing for the day.

When Mona, Ray, and Eris knocked on Vivian's door, they were surprised to discover that they had woken her with their arrival. However, as soon as Vivian noticed Ray's injury, she snapped fully awake and ushered the tired friends inside her home. She ordered Mona and Eris to sleep in one of her guest rooms while she treated Ray.

"And don't you come out until I get you," she told Mona and Eris, shutting the door to their room. She carried Ray to her second guest bedroom and nestled him under the bed's covers. Pulling out her Berries, her mortar and pestle, and her splints, she began her treatment of Ray's sprained ankle.

The process was tedious and painstakingly slow due to Ray's incessant fidgeting, but Vivian managed to properly dress Ray's wound. After she cleaned away her supplies, Vivian gave Ray the same order as she did Mona and Eris: sleep. Ray complied without complaint and fell asleep nearly instantaneously.

Vivian sighed and shook her head. _Those three certainly got in a heap of trouble,_ she thought. _I'll have to ask them about it when they've gotten good rest._

Gently, she shut the door to Ray's room and walked into her kitchen. _And to think that I was expecting a peaceful morning with a nice cup of tea,_ she thought as she sat at her kitchen table with a fresh cup of Rawst Berry leaf tea. Serenely, she sipped her tea, basking in the warmth of the morning sun from her kitchen window.

 _Christmas Eve is tomorrow. Oh, how exciting this all is!_

* * *

When Mona first opened her eyes, her first thought was that she was in her parents' house and that she had to wake up and go to school. After a moment, she realized that was not in her parents' house, but in Vivian's house in one of her guest room beds. Confused as to why she would be in Vivian's house, she rolled onto her side and prepared to stand when her brain finally recalled the events prior to her awakening.

 _The search...the forest...the trap...the rockslide...Ray! Eris!_ she thought in rapid succession. Flinging off her covers, she leapt off the bed and frantically rushed to Eris's bedside. Thankfully, Eris still slept soundly in her bed. Mona smiled at her friend's peaceful face and breathed a calming sigh of relief.

 _No need to panic, Mona; Eris is fine. I bet Ray is, too, seeing as how we're in Vivian's house. Vivian probably patched him up. If I know Ray, he should be sleeping as well._

Walking at a more leisurely pace, Mona opened the door and entered the kitchen. The sumptuous smell of Berry cooking wafted in the air. Sniffing deeply, Mona felt her mouth water and her tummy growl.

Vivian, who was baking a Berry soufflé, heard Mona stumble into her kitchen. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Good evening, Mona. You woke up just in time for dinner. Are the other two up yet?"

Mona hopped into a chair at the kitchen table and relaxed in it. "No, ma'am. They're still asleep, especially Eris. You're not going to get her up anytime soon."

Vivian chuckled daintily. "Oh, my, that Eris certainly seems like she sleeps like a log."

Mona laughed as well. "You're telling me. You should hear her snore sometimes. I almost can mistake her for a snorlax!"

At that remark, Vivian broke into an hearty laugh. Mona joined her, reveling in the joy she experienced from her mirth. She had not laughed like that in a long time.

As the two settled, Vivian resumed cooking dinner. Silence, save for the sound of sizzling Berries, hung in the air. Mona enjoyed the quiet; she could finally think properly. Yesterday, she hardly had any time to think, let alone consider the consequences of her actions. Now, she could deliberate on what her next best course of action should be.

 _Zane could strike at any moment. He probably still thinks that I'm trapped in that cave of his, so I could use that to my advantage. We still don't know when and how he'll attack, though. He could do anything at any time. If we had some clue..._

As she struggled to recall yesterday's events in detail, one memory surfaced in her mind: the calendar on the cave's back wall. That calendar had December the twenty-fourth circled in a bold, deep stroke, almost as if it held special importance.

 _Wait! That's it! That's when he'll attack. It has to be,_ she thought. _December twenty-fourth... That's tomorrow. He's going to execute his plan tomorrow, and the bad thing is, we can't do a thing about it!_

Mona growled at the thought. She could not stand this feeling of helplessness that welled up with her. She had to do something, no matter how futile or useless it seemed.

"Mona? Are you alright?" Vivian asked. She had set her spatula to the side and taken her Berries off the fire.

Mona snapped out of her thoughts. She looked down at her paws and realized that her claws had unsheathed and were digging in the wooden chair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Vivian," she apologized sheepishly as she retracted her claws.

Vivian was not satisfied with her answer. "Mona, ever since you came to town, you've been acting very strangely. If you're worried about something, you can tell me. I'm always here for you, Mona."

Mona sighed and buried her head in her paws. She debated whether or not she should respond, but in the end, she decided that she needed all the help she could get. Plus, she owed it to Vivian after she helped Ray with his sprained ankle.

"Yes, Vivian, there is something I'm worried about. It's...Zane."

Vivian's eyes widened in shock. She began to shake violently, the tousles on her flower-shaped head quivering in tandem.

"W-What about Zane?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Vivian's behavior slightly frightened Mona, but she had no choice but to continue explaining. "Vivian, do you remember when I asked you about Zane yesterday?"

Vivian nodded vigorously.

"Well, I asked you about him because he's...returned to Evergreen," Mona hesitantly said, unsure of Vivian's reaction.

Much to Mona's pleasant surprise, Vivian did not faint where she stood; instead, Vivian placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes.

"Oh, Zane... You really have returned...," she said.

Vivian's words perplexed Mona. _What's she talking about? Has she known about Zane's return, or did she guess it when I asked her about Zane?_ Mona thought.

Moving away from Mona, Vivian set the Berries above the fire once more. She grabbed her spatula and stirred the Berries in silence. At times, Mona thought Vivian's eyes were dripping tears, but she did not whether it was the smoke or something else that was causing her to cry.

Vivian finished dinner a few minutes later. She asked Mona to bring Ray and Eris to the table while she prepared the meal portions. As Mona entered into Ray's room, Vivian dropped the skillet containing the Berries and the spatula on the kitchen counter and rested her head in her hands. _This is terrible,_ she thought. _Truly terrible. I have to do something about this._

"Vivian? They're here," a voice said behind Vivian. Forcing a smile onto her face, Vivian removed her head from her hands and turned to face the three friends.

"Oh, thank you, Mona. Now, go sit down, you three. I bet you must be hungry after all you've been through," Vivian said sweetly.

While Ray and Eris eagerly nodded, Mona frowned at Vivian. She was acting more upbeat than she had been a few minutes ago. However, the smell of fresh, cooked Berries and the distinct sound of her stomach growling distracted her from her suspicions. She figured that she could talk to Vivian after she had eaten her fill.

As the three devoured their homemade meal, Vivian left her food untouched. She simply watched Mona, Ray, and Eris stuff themselves to their hearts' content. After several minutes had passed, Vivian stood from her seat. All three of her guests stopped eating and stared at her.

"I just remembered that I have an errand to run in town," Vivian said with a smile. "You three can finish eating and leave if you would like. I am offering my home to you for another night since I noticed that you don't have any money to pay for a night at the inn."

The three of them thanked Vivian immensely for her hospitality. Mona reassured Vivian that her parents had already opened their doors to her and her friends and that they must be worried since they did not return home last night. Vivian nodded in understanding, then opened the door to the outside and exited the house.

As soon as the door had shut, Mona inhaled the last few bites of her Berries and leaned towards Ray and Eris. "Guys, we have to leave and find Zane," she said.

Ray grunted. "That didn't work out so well yesterday, if you remember correctly."

Mona growled at Ray's comment. "Actually, I found something in Zane's cave: a calendar carved into the wall with a circle scratched around December twenty-fourth," she retorted.

Ray and Eris gaped at her in shock. "That can only mean one thing...," Eris said.

"...Zane will attack tomorrow on Christmas Eve," Mona finished. "That's why we have to find him and make sure he doesn't ruin Christmas!"

Ray slammed his paws on the table and shot to his feet. Eris squealed at Ray's sudden movement and hunched low to the chair.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go. We're running out of daylight," Ray said. He pushed his chair aside and ran to the door.

"Wait, Ray! Don't be hasty!" Mona warned, but she spoke a moment too late. Ray had already flung open the door and bounded out of Vivian's house. Mona and Eris exchanged a glance before they, too, ran out of the house.

As Eris shut the door, Ray and Mona quickly decided on a new plan. Instead of dividing like they did yesterday, they would return to the cliff in the clearing and search for any tracks that would eventually lead them to Zane.

Mona huddled with Ray and Eris, saying, "Guys, we know we only have the rest of today to—"

"Tonight. The sun's about to set," Ray interjected.

Mona huffed and continued. "—tonight to get to Zane and subdue him. He's not afraid of hurting us, so we shouldn't be afraid of hurting him. Now, let's go!"

Together, the three hustled to the forest, resolution and determination burning brightly in their eyes.

* * *

Ray hopped over a tree trunk, his eyes focused on a single paw print on the other side. As he landed, he lowered himself to the ground to scrutinize the indentation. Identifying it as the paw print of a luxio, he called over Mona and Eris.

"I've found the trail again. It looks like it's...leading back towards town," he said.

Anxiously, Mona jumped over the trunk and landed next to Ray. "Zane must've guesses we'd try to track him because this trail has been extremely confusing. Thank goodness there's three of us looking."

Accepting her slightly backhanded compliment, Ray pushed himself to his paws. He silently began to follow the tracks, urging Mona and Eris to pursue them as well. They traversed over creeks, under low-hanging tree boughs, and through tunnels of tree branches and tall bushes until they reached the edge of the town of Evergreen.

"We're back here, just like I thought," Ray said, brows creasing, "but something's wrong. Look."

He gestured to the trail. It emerged from the forest and crossed into town; however, it continued straight into the side of a building and ended.

Mona, Ray, and Eris approached the building. Kneeling down, Ray examined the final few paw prints for any abnormalities that would indicate that Zane had jumped onto a roof or done another similar action. Unfortunately, the minor gouge marks in the earth would not have been the result of Zane jumping since they were too shallow.

"Wait...," he said aloud.

Mona cocked her head at Ray. "What is it, Ray? Did you figure something out?"

Ray bent closer to ground, then glanced at the wall. "Maybe," he responded. "These tracks have gouges, but they're not deep enough to tell that he possibly jumped up to the roof. He still did something, though, judging by the length of these marks. It's almost like he...pushed something..."

Mona and Ray simultaneous stared at the wall in front of the tracks. Hesitantly, Mona pushed her shoulder against the stone wall. At first, it did not move, but after she increased her effort, the wall shifted and swung into the building.

"A secret door," Mona muttered. "That's how he evaded us. He must've jumped from roof to roof since the houses are close enough together. All he had to was hop down from the edge of the roof above the secret door, enter inside, and sweep away the paw prints. We were looking wrong the whole time."

"Then, if he always swept away the paw prints, why wouldn't he do it this time? Why even come from the forest at all?" Eris asked curiously.

Mona and Ray shared a horrified stare, then charged into the secret hideout. Inside the building laid a tunnel, which they quickly descended. When they reached the bottom, they froze as they beheld the sight before them.

Claw marks carved themselves deep into the dirt walls. The remaining splinters of what might have been furniture laid scattered on the floor. A message scrawled in ashes covered most of the floor space.

 _"You're too late. You've forced my hand. Upon the midnight hour, your happiness will fall victim under my overwhelming power!"_

"Oh my Arceus...," Mona whispered in terror. "He's...no..."

Ray snarled fiercely at the message and grabbed Mona's scruff. "We have to go, Mona. There's nothing left here, and it's almost midnight. We're out of time."

Still keeping a firm grip on her fur, he dragged Mona out of the ruined hideout and into the moonlit town. Mona still remained motionless in Ray's hold.

"Mona! Ray! What happened down there?" Eris asked. "Mona, what's wrong? Why are you looking at the ground like that?"

Responding slowly, Mona lifted her head to meet Eris's eyes. "Eris...we're too late. Zane...Zane's attacking at midnight. We have to warn the townspeople."

Ray shook his head. "Nobody will listen, though. They'll think we're crazy or something."

Mona stomped her foot stubbornly. "We have to try, Ray! We have to do something!"

Ray growled and opened his mouth to argue, but a piercing scream interrupted him. His eyes widened, and he turned to look over his shoulder. At first, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. However, a small trickle of gray smoke drifted above a nearby housetop, and the smell of burning wood wafted into his nose.

"Fire," he breathed. "He's setting the town on fire."

Another wail split the air. This time, the three friends could distinguish its words.

 _"Somebody, help! Fire! Fire!"_

That cry of desperation snapped Mona out of her stunned reverie. "We have to evacuate the town," she said determinedly. At Ray and Eris's stunned expressions, she added, "We have no other choice. This entire town is made out of wood, and we don't have enough water or ice type pokémon in town to quell the fire."

Mona's friend processed her information. After arriving at the conclusion that there was indeed no other option, they nodded in assent.

Staying at each other's side, they rushed towards the area from which the smoke drifted. As the rounded a corner, a horrific sight greeted them. A blazing inferno had engulfed the houses on the street, melting away the ice and snow into steaming puddles.

Gesturing to Eris, Mona said, "Eris, go evacuate the citizens whose houses aren't on fire yet." Turning to Ray, she added, "Ray, help me rescue anyone trapped in these houses."

Eris immediately sprinted towards the other end of the street. Mona and Ray approached a wailing mother in the center of the street. She had knelt in the snow, tears streaming from her squinted eyes.

"Somebody! My child! She's stuck in there, and I can't get in!" she cried.

Mona and Ray instantly responded. After a quick examination, they saw that a window in the upper level of the house had not yet been consumed by the flames. Ray grabbed Mona and hefted her above his head. He threw her towards the house, aiming for the window.

As Mona sailed through the air, she charged a white energy cone around her. Her Take Down attack crashed into the window, shattering it and allowing her to sail through it relatively unharmed.

She winced from her attack's recoil effect and she landed on the floor. Recovering, she searched the room for any sign of the child. Thankfully, the child huddled in the corner of the room, dried tears adorning his face.

"Hey," Mona cooed. She held back a cough and said, "Everything's going to be alright. I just need you to come to me, okay?"

The child only remained shivering in the corner. He appeared to have gone into shock. Steeling herself, Mona leapt over a burning beam and grabbed the child with her mouth. Since she could not jump with the child in her mouth, she launched a Swift at the burning beam. It blasted apart, allowing her an open avenue to the window.

Coughing from smoke inhalation, she staggered to the window and held the child out of the window. Unfortunately, the child chose this moment to come to his senses and screamed wildly. He thrashed in her grip, and Mona, unable to maintain a strong enough grip, could only watch as the child slid out of her mouth and plummeted to the ground.

"No!" she cried. She extended her head out the window and sighed in relief when she saw that Ray had caught the child. Jumping out the window, she landed safely and nodded in gratitude to Ray.

"My child!" the mother wailed. Ray offered the child to her, who gladly accepted him. She cuddled her child close to her, then looked up at Mona and Ray. "I don't...I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Mona smiled. "You're welcome. Now, get to safety! The forest is far enough away that you should be protected there!"

Thanking Mona once more, the mother stood and ran towards the Oran Forest.

Mona turned to Ray. "We need to evacuate the rest of the town. The townsfolk's safety takes priority over finding Zane."

The two dashed in the opposite direction from where Eris left and began clearing the townsfolk out of their homes. Fortunately, some had cleared out of their homes, having seen and smelled the fire on the other street. Mona and Ray busied themselves with evacuating the other citizens who were either unaware of the fire or were too afraid to leave.

As Mona was guiding an elderly citizen from her tiny house, she heard an ominous creak come from a burning house behind them. With a groan, the wall caved outwards and crashed onto the elderly woman's home. Her house immediately caught fire and began to burn to the ground.

"Oh-h-h...," she feebly whispered. Mona could feel her heartbeat rising to dangerous levels.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay," Mona reassured. Watching the elder to ensure that she would not faint, Mona lead the woman to a safe spot on the edge of the forest.

"Grandma!" a childish voice shouted.

"Mom!" an older voice said.

Two pokémon rushed to support the older woman.

"Oh, dears, I saw my house, my poor house. It was terrible. My mate built that house all by himself. Oh-h-h..."

The old woman's daughter calmly tried to pacify her mother while the granddaughter hugged her grandmother tightly. Leaving the three to their own devices, Mona rushed into town once more.

A shadow leapt from the cover of a burning building and bounded across the street in front of Mona. She only recognized black and blue fur before the blur darted around a corner.

 _Zane!_ she thought. Forgetting about the citizens, she engaged in a Quick Attack and pursued Zane as fast as she could.

"Get back here, Zane!" she demanded. In response, a dark laugh emanated over the crackling of the blaze around her. Growling, she followed his fleeting form through the maze of streets and houses. After several long minutes of chasing, she emerged into an open area that she did not recognize at first.

However, after a moment of pause, she gasped. What was left of the market surrounded her. The flames had torn apart the stalls, reducing them to mere ashes. Her dad's stall and merchandise had vanished under the blanket of red and orange.

"Oh my...," she said, aghast at the scene before her. "Zane...why?! Why did you have to do this?!"

"Because you all deserved it!" a harsh voice rebuked. Out from the inferno leapt Zane himself, his fangs coated in hot orange flames. As he stalked towards Mona, the flames around his mouth flared brighter. "You all deserved it for how you treated me!"

"No, Zane, they didn't! These people never deserved it!" Mona screamed. Zane snarled and leapt at her. Mona dodged his reckless charge with a roll to the side.

"You weren't here when it happened. How could you know how I felt? How it looked? I was embarrassed that day. These people never tried to console me! They laughed at my foolishness! My stupidity! My blindness from my love! _They never understood! They never even tried to understand!_ _ **They mocked me for who I was! THEY WILL PAY!"**_

With a feral roar, Zane dove wildly at Mona. She again rolled out of the way, but this time, Zane swiped at her with his back paws and knocked her off her feet. Now having the upper hand, Zane turned and crouched over Mona. He planted a paw on her chest to prevent her from rolling away.

"How does it feel now, Mona? How does it feel to be _helpless_? _How does it feel to be at the mercy of the ones around you?_ " he uttered lowly.

Vainly, Mona struggled against Zane's hold. "Zane...please...stop this...," she begged.

In response, Zane pressed his paw harder on Mona's chest, squeezing the air out of her lungs. "They say that, during Christmastime, people see sugar plums dancing in their heads when they sleep. Maybe, instead, you'll see visions of me destroying all that you love in your sleep!" he yelled. He reared his head back, the flames in his mouth growing tenfold.

"ZANE!"

At the sound of the new voice, Zane froze. That voice reminded him of someone familiar. Someone he knew a long time ago. Someone he even cared for. Someone he...loved.

Zane recoiled from Mona's chest. Mona gasped and coughed as smoky air soared into her lungs. Zane's head snapped left and right, trying to find the owner of the voice. He repeatedly replayed the voice in his head, desiring desperately for its owner but denying the truth.

"Who's there?" he shouted.

From a nearby street, two figures emerged out of the fire and smoke. Zane squinted his eyes at them. As they drew closer, he saw that one hovered much higher than the other, who walked daintily on four legs.

A gush of wind flew over the market, blowing away the smoke and exposing the two pokémon. Zane gasped when he saw them. He could not believe his eyes. He thought that she was gone. He thought that she had left him forever.

Standing before him was Lucy in all of her elegance and glory. She stared at him coldly, the ice in her eyes contrasting with the fire roaring around her.

"Lucy... You're back," Zane said in a small voice.

Lucy continued to approach him, the other pokémon staying back. "Zane, why have you done this? Why did cause all of this destruction to these innocent people?"

Zane's anger returned in a flash. "These people aren't innocent, Lucy. They shamed me. They mocked me. They made fun of my love for you. They said we never were ready to take the next step and that we were never meant to be. I couldn't stand them disparaging me and you. You were the apex of my existence, the best part of me. How could I allow them to belittle the most perfect being in the world?"

Lucy's eyes began to tear at Zane's truthful words. "Zane... I... I'm so sorry," she apologized.

With lightning-quick speed, Zane rushed to Lucy's side and said, "What do you mean, my love? How could you feel sorry for my actions?"

The tears in Lucy's spilled onto her cheeks. "Because I caused this, Zane."

Zane was taken aback at her words. "Lucy...?"

Lucy continued to talk, her voice growing closer to a sob. "When you proposed to me, I wanted so much to say yes right then, but I was afraid. I was afraid of our future. I was afraid that we were rushing too fast into our love. I was afraid that we weren't considering the consequences of our actions. Most of all, I was afraid for myself. I didn't want to take the next step because that would mean change, and I didn't want change. I was happy the way things were. I couldn't handle the stress, so the next day, I ran away."

Zane gaped at her. "Lucy, if you feel this way, we can—"

"No!" she interrupted with a shout. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "No, Zane. I didn't think of your feelings back then. If we picked up where we left off, nothing will be different. When I was by myself, I thought about my actions, and I regretted them. It took my quite a while, but I realized that I had wanted to be with you. I had wanted the change. Now I see that my mistake has come at perhaps too high a price."

When she finished, Lucy broke into a sob and buried her head in Zane's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Zane! I hurt you! I hurt you so much! If you don't love me anymore, I understand. You don't deserve a horrible pokémon like me."

Lucy continued to cry in Zane's shoulder, oblivious to everything around her. Zane remained utterly still. Lucy's revelation had shaken his core to the breaking point. The flames around his mouth diminished until they died.

"Lucy...," he said, finally moving by draping his paw on her back. Lucy quit sobbing and stared into Zane's yellow eyes. "I understand why you were afraid. I pushed the future onto you before you were ready. I didn't consider your feelings either. I'm the one to blame for this. For that, I forgive you."

Lucy breathed sharply at his apology. "Zane, my love, I forgive you as well," she said. At her words, the two openly embraced. They passionately cried in each other's arms, their emotions from a year of separation pouring out in their tears.

In the background, Mona had fully recovered, managed to stand, and walked to the other pokémon behind the two lovers.

"Vivian," Mona said to the pokémon. The florges turned from the emotional scene to the eevee.

"Yes, Mona?" Vivian asked.

"You knew. You knew all along where Lucy was," Mona said accusingly. "Why didn't you bring her back earlier and spare Zane all of his pain?"

Vivian glanced at Zane and Lucy's tear-filled reunion. "I didn't bring her back because I knew she wasn't ready," she answered. At Mona's skeptical glare, she explained, "When Zane proposed to Lucy, I could see the emotional trauma in her eyes. After the parade, she approached me with the desire to run away. I advised that she should stay and face her problems, but the poor thing didn't want to even try.

"Therefore, I contacted a xatu friend of mine in town, and he teleported the three of us to a secret location on the continent, where no one could hope to find her. I knew that, one day, Lucy would want to come back. However, I never envisioned that the future held this in store or else I would've brought her back sooner. I'm partly to blame for this as well."

Mona gazed at Zane and Lucy. They still were sobbing in each other's shoulders. "You know, Vivian, I think things had to turn out this way. If Lucy had come back anytime sooner, she wouldn't have seen Zane this way and probably wouldn't have changed. If Lucy didn't change, Zane wouldn't have, either," she mused.

Mona's words inspired Vivian. "I guess that makes this a miracle of sorts, no?" she said, gesturing towards the two lovers.

Mona smiled. "It's a Christmas miracle."

As the fire blazed powerfully around them, Zane and Lucy continued to cry in each other's embrace, never wanting to leave the other alone ever again.

* * *

The sun shone brightly, illuminating the town of Evergreen. It was the day after the town caught fire, Christmas Day, and over half the town laid in ruins. Houses and property were damaged beyond repair. Everyone attributed the cause of the fire to some freak accident when lighting a fireplace. They counted their blessings that no one had been hurt or perished in the unfortunate fire that resulted from this supposed accident.

As for Zane and Lucy, they had merrily declared themselves mates. The townsfolk were overjoyed that both Zane and Lucy had returned to town, and to celebrate, they decided to hold a celebration in the undamaged portion of town. Pokémon rushed from house to house to prepare for the exciting, festive party.

In the midst of the preparations, Mona, Eris, and Ray lounged peacefully in Mona's parents' house. Their house had suffered no damage from the fire, thus making it the perfect place to relax away from the busyness outside.

Mona's dad and mom had joined the town clean-up crew. They had recently arrived at the ruined marketplace, where they found their stall in shambles. Mona's dad had nearly crumbled at the sight of it, but with the help of his wife, he began to assemble the beginnings of another stall.

Other families had begun to pick up the pieces of their life as well. While depression ran amok in their hearts, a shining hope burned within them, too. Christmas was a time full of hope, after all.

With the many citizens of the town to assist in the preparations, the celebratory feast was finished in the middle of the afternoon. A messenger relayed the news to all of the workers in the damaged section of town. Cheers sprung from their ash-covered lips in joy. With light hearts, they marched in a great entourage to the site of the celebration.

While the townsfolk were unable to salvage much from the burned houses, several families had brought their tables and chairs so everyone could have the chance to enjoy the feast together.

As the townsfolk found seats wherever they could, Zane's father called for everyone's attention. A proud glean shone from his eyes as he said, "Thank you, all, for gathering here in such short notice. It truly is a blessing to be in the presence of such a wonderful community of pokémon such as yourselves."

A round of applause ensued. Zane's father again called for silence. After the crowd quieted, he said with a royal air, "Now, we're here today for one purpose: to celebrate the union of two lovely pokémon. It is quite a shock to see both of them here after such a long absence, but we owe it to them to congratulate them on their new life together. Without further ado, let's give a warm welcome to the newlymates, Zane and Lucy!"

The crowd cheered heartily at the end of Zane's father's short speech. Zane and Lucy smiled from their position at the head of the largest table. They both stood and thanked the town for coming to their mating feast, and after another moment of cheering, they commenced the feast.

With the ceremonial aspects of the meal completed, the town dug into their meals. Compared to other feasts, the food was simple fare, yet it held a certain warmness and thoughtfulness that other feasts did not possess. Perhaps it was the friendly atmosphere, or maybe it was the joyful spirits of the citizens that elevated the feast to such lofty proportions.

Mona, Eris, and Ray ate at their own table on the fringe of the gathering, enjoying their meals in companionable friendship.

"This Christmas was crazy," Mona admitted as she swallow a bite of salad greens.

"Yeah...," Eris agreed.

"Hey, but guess what? We saved Christmas," Ray stated arrogantly.

Mona playfully punched Ray on the shoulder. "That's not the point of all this, Ray! Christmas isn't about glory or fame. It's about getting together with family and spending time with them."

"Oh! It's also about giving joy and happiness to other who don't have it," Eris added.

"It could be about healing and strengthening bonds that already existed," Ray commented.

Mona smiled. "I think it's all of those and more. I can certainly see how that happened this Christmas."

Ray and Eris smiled as well. "Yeah, but I propose one thing," Ray said.

Mona raised an eyebrow. "What now?" she asked in a flat tone.

Ray waited a moment before answering. "How about a vacation _from_ the vacation?" he suggested. "After all, we could count this as rescuing pokémon in need. Zane and Lucy certainly needed some help." He pointed a finger over his shoulder towards the couple.

Mona frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, but wouldn't we use up that time just walking back to the guild?"

Ray opened his mouth, then dropped his head comically to his chest. "Dangit, you're right," he cursed.

Mona and Eris laughed. After another moment, Ray started chuckling with them.

"Let's just enjoy the rest of today," Mona said. "We can worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

Ray clapped at her statement. "I like the sound of that. Dig in!"

They laughed once more and began eating their food again, spending time with each other in way they never had before: wholesome, unmediated friendship.

* * *

High above the town in the dead of night, a cliff soared proudly in the moonlight. On its apex sat two pokémon, their tails intertwined.

"This is such a wonderful spot, Zane. Thank you for taking me up here," Lucy cooed.

Zane smiled and nuzzled his head closer to hers. "Anything for you, love," he said.

They fell in silence, content with sitting at each other's side. A light wind tousled their fur, but neither of them minded. The warmth they garnered from each other more than matched the chill from the air around them.

Lucy broke the silence. "Zane, I really am sorry for—"

"Shh, shh," Zane interrupted, placing a paw over mouth. "That's behind us now. The future is ahead. Let's not let the past hold us back from grasping it.

Lucy nodded, and Zane pulled his paw away from her mouth. Again, the two let the sound of the wind fill their ears instead of words.

"Zane?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence once more. She shifted to look up at him, her eyes glinting from the light of the moon.

"Yes?" Zane responded, meeting her eyes with his own.

"Those three pokémon, Mona, the riolu, and the breloom... Did you thank them?" she asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, I did," Zane said with a nod.

"They really helped us out, huh?" Lucy asked rhetorically, shifting her gaze to the town below them.

Zane followed her gaze. "Yeah, they really did. It's really fortunate that they came back, isn't it?"

Lucy chuckled lightly. "This is kind of a silly thought, but do you believe in Christmas miracles?"

Zane pondered her question for a moment. "...Yeah, Lucy. I do."

She smiled at his reply. "I do, too, Zane. After today, I really do."

* * *

 _Aewynessa would like to wish you a_

 ** _* ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~ *_**


End file.
